


Chamomile

by Frosty_sun



Series: Dad Schlatt series [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Dad Schlatt, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I keep naming these fics after plants smh, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Light Angst, M/M, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:47:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29949501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frosty_sun/pseuds/Frosty_sun
Summary: While Tubbo adjusts to life in the UK, Schlatt and Quackity have their own problems to tackle, like managing a business, stress, and anger issues. Schlatt is slowly getting used to his son being away from home, but he needs help, and Quackity is determined to get him that help. After taking some time off of work, Schlatt delves into a world of learning how to fix himself and most importantly, get his son back. But these two can’t do it alone...
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Jschlatt, Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Tommyinnit & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: Dad Schlatt series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2202690
Comments: 4
Kudos: 65





	1. Streams

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo! This fic is the sequel to ‘Venus Flytrap’, so if you haven’t read that one yet, please do! 
> 
> And as usual, the characters in this fic are based off of their internet personas, so don’t go after them for things that they might do/say in this fic!

  
It had been a month since Tubbo left. He’d quickly gotten accustomed to life at the Watsons, and the dogs loved him. He shared a room with Tommy at first, but they quickly made room in the spare bedroom for him. Tubbo hadn’t tried to contact his father at all, as he was worried that it would bring down his mental health. He was happy with Tommy, and thought that Schlatt would bring that happiness down.

Phil bought him a setup (which Tubbo intended to pay him back for eventually) and Tubbo learned how to use his PC to play Minecraft, some other games, and stream. And oh, how he loved to stream. 

———

_“Tubbo is live: Phasmophobia with Tommy, Quackity, and Georgenotfound!!!”_ Schlatt tapped on the notification almost as soon as it popped up. It was a Saturday, and he’d been taking a break from things, so it was the perfect timing for Tubbo to go live. 

“Hey chat!” Tubbo said as the stream loaded and he switched to his face cam. “How’s everyone doing today?” Chat exploded with shouts of ‘TUBBOO’ and Tubbo beamed, waving at his camera. A moment later, someone else joined Tubbo’s Discord server, and then Tommy was screaming at Tubbo. He could even be heard from across the house in Tubbo’s stream. “Tubbo!!” He hollered, and Tubbo chuckled. “Tommy!” He replied in a quieter tone. 

They got into a game lobby to wait for the other two, and a couple minutes later, George joined. “GerogeNotFound! My friend!” Tommy yelled enthusiastically, and George groaned softly. “Hello... child.” George said, and there was a moment today silence. Then— “What the  _ fuck _ did you just call me?” George and Tubbo laughed, and Schlatt sighed as he finally recognized that voice. Why was everyone that he knew a Minecraft streamer?

Quackity still hadn’t joined the lobby, and Tubbo was talking to chat while they waited for him. Finally, he joined. Loudly. “Big Q!” Tommy exclaimed, and Quackity cackled. “TommyInnit! TommyInnit, hello!” He replied in an exaggeratedly high tone. Tubbo pulled up the Discord screen on his main monitor, where Quackity and Tommy had their face cameras on. Quackity was bouncing excitedly in his chair, and Tommy was waiting him with a grin and one eyebrow raised. 

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Quackity then apologized, still exaggerating his tone. “I was in therapy.” He explained, pronouncing ‘therapy’ like ‘ther—o—pay’. Tubbo hummed, smiling, and then they got Quackity into the game. A second later, they actually started it. “Let’s do the prison.” George had suggested, and after a moment of playful bickering with Quackity, Tubbo started the game. 

“Make sure we all take different stuff.” George said as they spawned into the map inside of the van. “I know.” Tommy said, and he immediately ran off without taking anything more than a flashlight. A moment later, over the world speak, Tommy said, “Hey guys, what’s the ghost’s name?” 

George’s character turned to Tubbo’s, and the Brit said, “He’s going to get himself killed.” Tubbo sighed, laughed, and agreed with George. “Guyys.” Tommy whined, and then Quackity too left the van, Tubbo and George following behind his character. 

It didn’t take long for them to locate Tommy, as he was just milling around the entrance to the building. “Guys, what’s the ghost’s name?” Tommy asked again when he saw their characters approaching him. “I think it’s Kenneth. Kenneth Anderson.” George said, and Tommy huffed. “What kind of a name is  _ Kenneth?” _ He questioned teasingly. “A Scottish one, if I’m correct.” Tubbo replied, and Tommy paused. “How the fuck do you know that—?”

“Tommy, shush.” George hissed, and Tommy grumbled something under his breath, but didn’t argue further. The game proceeded as normal for a little bit before Tommy once again separated from everyone else, and a moment later Tubbo heard him screaming from across the house, even though nothing could be heard in the game. “It’s after me! It’s after me! It’s fucking after me!” Tommy shrieked, and Tubbo stifled a laugh. 

“Is it hunting?” George asked, and with a small giggle, Tubbo replied. “Yes. Tommy’s fucked.” Over the recent days of discovering Tubbo’s Twitch channel, Schlatt had more or less gotten used to the boy swearing. He was very different from when he’d been around, and it hurt him because he was obviously doing better with Phil and that group than he was when he lived in New York. 

Tubbo loved living with Tommy’s family, but sometimes he still found himself missing New York, like when he’d put his hands into his pockets on the flight to England to find his bee keychain and the note from his father and he’d almost cried. It was weird getting used to the quiet of the somewhat rural area where they lived, and he’s barely gotten any sleep the first few nights, but now he was fully adjusted. He was also so much more confident. In New York, he’d tried to blend in, or just remain unnoticed, but now he could easily shout and be obnoxious without caring at all. 

Tubbo was also happy that, after one fairly long call between Phil and Schlatt, he was told that he was legally allowed to actually go to school with Tommy instead of having Techno give him short lessons when he came home from college every day. That moment had made him believe that Schlatt could get better, even though he still hadn’t reached out. 

Schlatt had taken note of Tubbo’s absence in his life, and he was more or less suffering because of it. He knew that this is what he deserved, and he truly did want Tubbo to be happy, which is why he managed to talk to Phil and get him into a real life school, but he wanted to talk to him again. He wanted to see him outside of watching his streams with his goofball friends. 

There was a short silence from the stream, and then the hunt was over. Quackity and George left Tubbo to go search for Tommy, and when they found him, Quackity’s barking laughter erupted over the world speak. “Tubbo! Tubbo come look at him!” He wheezed, and Tubbo started walking towards the others. Tommy’s character was sprawled out on the ground in a funny position from where he’d been running from the ghost, and Quackity and George were going ballistic. 

In the end, they spent two hours playing the game, and only decided to end because Quackity and George had to leave for ‘top secret business’. Tubbo spent a good five minutes looking back at donations and talking with Tommy before he ended the stream, and Schlatt sighed and stood up from where he’d been sitting, checking the time. Almost 5:00 pm. 

Then, he got a call from none other than Quackity. “Alex?” Schlatt said as he picked up. “Hey, J’, um, I was wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner?”

“Is this your ‘top secret business’ that you mentioned on the stream?” 

“Haha.. yeah it is. I wanna treat you.” 

“Meet me here in five, okay?” And then he ended the call. Schlatt tucked his phone into his pocket and grabbed his wallet. He’d noticed the stolen money a day after Tubbo had run away, and he was upset, but it wasn’t the worst thing the boy could have done. 

Schlatt made himself look a little more presentable by combing his hair back and freshening up a bit, and then he left the apartment, taking the elevator down to the ground floor. When he exited the box, Quackity was leaning against the far wall on his phone, and he looked up when he heard the elevator open, smirking as he saw Schlatt. “You look handsome.” He teased, and Schlatt scoffed as he approached his friend. “Whatever. How’s school going?”

“No offense, but better than that office job.” Quackity replied, holding out his arm, which Schlatt took, allowing the younger man to lead him out of the building and towards the nearest bus stop. “None taken.” Schlatt muttered. 

Quackity paid for the bus tickets, and soon they arrived at a bar and grill. Quackity walked them inside and immediately started walking towards the back of the restaurant, and Schlatt soon saw that he was heading for a table that also seated George and Dream, who were in the middle of what looked like a very interesting conversation. 

“Hey!” Quackity called out, and George, who had been sitting on the edge of the booth with his back to the other two, jumped, flushing as he turned around. “Hi Quackity, Schlatt.” He greeted with a nod. Dream waved, and Schlatt slid into the booth first so he could sit against the wall. “How’re you doing, boss man?” Dream asked, smirking slightly, and George elbowed him. Schlatt shrugged, looking down at a cup of coffee creamer packets. “I’m fine.”

“So~ J’~?” Quackity then cooed, and Schlatt shot him a halfhearted glare. “What?”

“You were watching the stream today.” Quackity chuckled, and Schlatt looked away again, training his eyes on a waiter that was approaching them. “So what if I did? It’s the only way for me to see Toby.” Dream dropped his gaze to the table, blond bangs falling across his vibrant green eyes, and George tried to seem distracted by picking at his napkin. “He still hasn’t called?” Quackity asked, and Schlatt bit his lip, shaking his head. “I deserve it.” 

“You do.” Quackity agreed, and Schlatt sighed through his nose, knowing that it was the truth, but not liking it. “Hey,” Quackity added. “Do you want me to talk to him?”

“No,” Schlatt said. “I want him to do things in his own time, and if that means not talking to me for a long time, well, I’ll try to get used to it.” Quackity smiled almost sadly, and reached over to Pat Schlatt’s arm. “You’re a good dad, Schlatt, you just need some practice.” He said, and Schlatt nodded, making eye contact for a brief moment before the approaching waiter thankfully put an end to this conversation. 

They ordered, and then Dream and George started up a conversation about streaming while they waited for their food to arrive. “Do you think you’d ever stream, Schlatt?” Dream asked, and Schlatt hissed through his teeth, hastily putting his hands up in defense. “Oh, no, I don’t think so.” He replied, and Dream nodded understandingly while Quackity refused to drop it. “Oh, come on~!” He said, nudging Schlatt with his elbow. 

“Alex, I wouldn’t be good at it.” 

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.”

“Come on! You’re funny, you have a good sense of humor—!”

“Alex..” Schlatt warned.

“—You could do it! I could show you how to work things, and we could have fun, it’d be a good break from the stress of being CEO—!”

“Alexis! I— I wouldn’t—!” Schlatt snapped, stumbling over his words. He then sighed and dropped his head to the table. “God, I’m sorry.” He mumbled. The nearby tables were quieter than normal, and he knew that George, Dream, and Quackity were all staring at him. He’d fucked up again. He had intended to come here to have a good time, and he knew that’s why the others came as well, but he’d fucked up again. 

“Can I.. talk to you in private?” Schlatt asked Quackity, looking up at him through his bangs. Quackity nodded and stood up, Schlatt following him as they walked to the restroom. They walked in, thankful that nobody else was in here. “I’m sorry, Alex.” Schlatt mumbled as soon as the door had closed behind them. Quackity shrugged, obviously annoyed. “You always say that,” he hissed. “You  _ always _ say that. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry’, all the fucking time!” 

Schlatt didn’t reply, he just let Quackity rant at him. “Schlatt,” he then sighed. “You told me to get help, and now I’m going to tell you to get help. I think... I think therapy would do you good. I know this isn’t what you  want to hear, but you obviously have some anger and/or stress issues.” Schlatt leaned against the wall and bit his lip, hating that Quackity was right. 

“Yeah, but, I don’t know what to do.” He replied softly. Quackity sighed, and his tone was a lot softer when he put a hand on Schlatt’s shoulder. “Then I’ll help you. Now, can we go back out there and have a nice dinner?” Schlatt nodded. Quackity smiled warmly. “Thank you.”


	2. Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somebody pays Quackity a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small thing to note for this fic, consider: Dream but long hair.

  
“Sorry Quackity, but your plan the other day backfired so much.” George said as he started up his stream, and Quackity, who’d been in a call with him, cringed. “I know, I know, but we talked.” He replied. “I know,” George said. “But that was one of the most awkward dinner dates I’ve ever been on, and I’ve been on some awkward dates.”

“Come on,” Quackity rolled his eyes. “That wasn’t a double date or anything. Schlatt and I are  _ not _ together.” 

“Sure~” George teased, and Quackity scoffed. “Whatever, just start your stream already.” Thankfully, George dropped it, and Quackity leaned back in his chair while he opened Minecraft, drumming his fingers on his desk as he waited for the game to load. George deafened himself as he greeted his chat, and by the time he was done, Quackity had joined the world, which was the modded server Tommy had made a while ago (they’d been invited shortly after Tubbo arrived in the UK).

When George joined, he took the form of a wolf, and ran to where Quackity’s character was. Karl Jacobs and Phil were also in the server, but they were out of render distance. “So, George,” Quackity asked. “Did you have a plan for today?” 

“I did, actually, do you wanna help me build a tower?” George replied, and Quackity shrugged to himself. “Why not?” He said, and followed George’s character as they went to get supplies. There was already a lot of builds in the server, consisting of Tommy’s house, built into the side of a hill, an area where Tubbo kept his stuff in a cluster of chests, Phil’s house, a cow farm, a huge wheat farm, multiple xp farms, and many other abandoned or in progress builds. It was expanding quickly. 

In the end, they decided that cobblestone would be the easiest thing to build with, and George and Quackity (and Karl, for a little bit) spent nearly an hour building the tower, their only goal being ‘to get it to the block limit’. 

After that, Quackity was planning on going live, but a text from Dream stopped him. 

_ Dream: Can I come over? _

_ Quackity: Now? _

_ Dream: Yeah, I wanna talk.  _

And so Quackity turned off his PC and left his room to wait for Dream to arrive so he could let him inside. It took maybe ten minutes for the blond to knock on the door, and Quackity let him in immediately. “Hi.” He said, and Dream nodded in greeting, a white face mask covering his mouth and nose, bangs almost covering his eyes while the rest of his near shoulder length hair was tied back. 

“Hello Alex.” Dream said politely, pulling his mask off and stuffing it into a pocket. He then walked over to Quackity’s counter and sat down on one of the stools, pulling a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. He handed it to Quackity. “This was on your door. You’re getting evicted?” Quackity’s heart dropped. 

“I— uh, I didn’t— I didn’t know...” He mumbled. Dream didn’t believe him, and turned to face him. “You knew. So what is it? Late rent? Or more drugs?” He asked, and Quackity sighed, moving to sit next to Dream. “Late rent...” he groaned. “I was gonna pay, but...”

“Not enough?”

Quackity nodded. “Yeah, there’s too much shit going on right now.” 

“Why don’t you live with a friend, at least until you get back on your feet? George and I would be glad to have you.” Dream said, and Quackity shook his head, maybe too quickly. “Oh, no, it’s alright. I don’t wanna interrupt your guys’ lives.” 

“Hm..” Dream chuckled softly and knowingly. “Hey, why I don’t I make some tea?” 

“Sure. I only have peppermint though.” Quackity replied, and he got up to show Dream where the tea was located. After that, Dream got to work boiling water while he ordered Quackity to go sit down on the couch. “So, what did you wanna talk about? You didn’t come here because you sensed that I was getting evicted, right?”

“Correct. I just wanted to check in and make sure you’re okay.” Dream called from the kitchen, and Quackity huffed, looking down at his coffee table. “Thanks man. Yeah, I’m fine.” He replied. A moment later, Dream was walking over to him with two cups of tea and a couple small glass trays to set the spent teabags on. The blond handed one cup to Quackity, who took it with a small groan of general discomfort. 

“You get a lot of headaches?” Dream questioned, and Quackity raised an eyebrow as he set his cup down on a coaster while the tea steeped. “Not really.”

“Ah. Just wondering because of the copious amounts of peppermint tea you possess.” Dream explained, and Quackity shot him another confused look. “What do you mean?” He inquired. Dream leaned back in the chair in which he’d sat. “Peppermint helps with headaches, as well as skin irritation, nausea, and it also calms the stomach.” Dream stated, and Quackity nodded slowly, taking in this new information. Then, he chuckled playfully. “You some kind of tea genius or something?” He teased, and Dream flushed. “No, but I live with George.” 

“George is the tea genius of the relationship?”

“God, yes, do  _ not _ get him going about tea.” Dream said, chuckling, and Quackity laughed as well, picking the teabag up and squeezing it between his fingers before placing it on the tray and taking a sip of the liquid. It burned his tongue at first, but he didn’t really care. 

There was a moment of comfortable silence in which Dream and Quackity just drank tea and looked out of the huge window bordering the living room area, watching brown and orange leaves fly by as thick clouds rolled in with the darkening sky. “How are  you doing, Dream?” Quackity suddenly asked, glancing over at his friend. He was staring out of the window, giving Quackity a view of his side profile, and the light from the sun, which was aiming directly into the apartment now, cast his freckled features in a soft orange light. 

“I’m okay. I’m good,” he said, taking another drink of tea. “I have big plans for the near future.” He added in a quieter tone. Quackity leaned forwards, intrigued. Dream had never really been one to share, Quackity could easily see that ever since he’d gotten a job at the office and he’d been the one to show him the ropes. Then, it had looked like he was trying to be more confident, but it was like he needed a little extra push that no one could give him, but then something had happened between him and George (who had been rooming with him since college and had gotten the same job only a month prior) and he’d seemed like a different person. Brighter. More willing to do things. That was when Quackity saw him smile for the first time. 

Dream must have noticed Quackity’s look, because he looked down into his tea. “I can’t say. It’s a surprise for someone.” He said, and Quackity nodded, not wanting to pry. “Ah, I see.” He said instead of asking more questions, and a small look of relief dawned on Dream’s face for just a moment, before it was replaced with concern. “Wait a minute.. if you’re getting evicted, and you won’t stay with us, who are you gonna stay with? Because it’s almost winter, and we’re bound to get snow soon.” Dream stated, and Quackity sighed, biting his lip. He didn’t look Dream in the eye when he said. “I might know someone...”


	3. Fucked up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackity moves out of his apartment and settles in somewhere else.

  
“So you want to _live_ with _me?”_

“Yeah, I mean, if it’s fine with you.” Quackity replied, and Schlatt slumped against his doorframe. It wasn’t even 10:00 am and Quackity had shown up at his doorstep, babbling about how he couldn’t pay rent and needed a place to stay and he’d repay Schlatt by doing chores until he was stable again. “It’s fine, I don’t care, but why can’t you pay rent again? Don’t you have a ton of money?” Schlatt asked, and Quackity visibly sagged with relief. “Um, I used too..?” Quackity awkwardly stated, rubbing the back of his neck while Schlatt sighed. He didn’t need to know more. “Whatever. Come in.”

Quackity hopped past him, automatically going to the living room. He looked out of the window, and Schlatt came up behind him, trying to guess what exactly Quackity was looking at while neither man spoke. It was a comfortable silence at first, but soon became awkward, at least for Schlatt. Luckily, a text notification from Quackity’s phone interrupted the moment, and Schlatt watched him turn on the device to see who it was. Schlatt’s heart hurt when he read the name.

_Tubbo: Hey Q!_

Quackity huffed and texted back, his fingers dancing swiftly across the digital keyboard.

_Quackity: Tubbooo!!_

_Tubbo: Are you gonna stream tonight?_

_Quackity: I can’t, sorry, some stuff came up._

_Quackity: Everything’s fine though! I’ll be back in action tomorrow hopefully :]_

Tubbo replied with a thumbs up emoji and Quackity tucked his phone back into his pocket. He turned around, freezing in place when he saw how close Schlatt was to him. “Um..” Quackity started nervously. “You don’t mind if I stream here, right?” He asked, and Schlatt shook his head. “No,” he said. “You just keep doing your job and I won’t bother you. Unless you want me too.”

“Thanks, I can get pretty loud sometimes though.” Quackity warned, and Schlatt brushed him off. “You’ll be fine as long as we don’t get noise complaints or it interferes with sleep schedules.” Schlatt assured him, and Quackity grinned, Schlatt taking pride in this. He was happy that Quackity could improve as much as he had without too much trouble, and now it was his turn. “Hey, Q’.” Schlatt then said, and Quackity scoffed playfully, making eye contact almost challengingly. “Hi, J’.” He replied.

“What do you say we go get your stuff now? It’s still early, and I can rent a truck or something.”

“Really?! Aw, sweet, thanks J’, but you don’t need a truck, I don’t have a lot of stuff anyways.” Quackity cooed, grinning from ear to ear, and Schlatt looked away, feeling his cheeks heat up. “Sure, yeah.” He said, somewhat flustered, before turning away and walking to the door. “You coming?” He called out, and Quackity jumped towards him, speeding past him while Schlatt locked the door and walked after the younger.

———

It took no more than two hours for the entire thing to be done, as the only thing that really took a long time to pack up was Quackity’s PC setup, which took the strength of both men to carry out to Schlatt’s car. After that, it was just Quackity shoving smaller things into boxes while Schlatt watched him, waiting to be asked for help. “Hey, wait.” Schlatt then exclaimed, and Quackity looked up at him from where he was kneeling on the floor. “What?”

“Don’t you need to give a notice before you move out?”

“‘Spose I do, but I’m already getting evicted, so…”

“Alex…” Schlatt sighed, and Quackity cut him off before he could continue. “I’ll be fine! It’s not illegal or anything!” He snapped. Schlatt furrowed his brows, biting his lip to hold back a groan. “Okay— true. But you could get sued!”

“For what?!”

“Unpaid rent or other damages!” Schlatt shot back, and Quackity groaned with annoyance and defeat, hanging his head and covering his face. Schlatt sighed and parted his lips to speak. “Don’t you dare say ‘sorry’.” Quackity grumbled. Schlatt shut his mouth, then thought for a moment. “I just care about you, Quackity, I don’t want you to get in trouble again.” He said after another second, and Quackity looked up at him. “Yeah, me too.” He replied softly.

Then, they both fell silent, before Quackity hissed out a small ‘fuck’ and rested his forehead in his hand. Schlatt said nothing, he just walked out of the room. Quackity didn’t notice him leave right away, but when he did take note of Schlatt’s absence, he didn’t try to do anything about it, assuming that he was just taking a walk to blow off some steam. He got back to putting his stuff in some boxes.

When Schlatt returned (which wasn’t for a long time), he walked over to Quackity and kneeled down next to the black haired man. Quackity sheepishly glanced over at him, and he noted that Schlatt had a look of fondness and pain. “I’m not gonna let you get sued.” Schlatt said under his breath, and it took a moment for Quackity to understand what that meant, but when he got it, he automatically pulled Schlatt into a hug, trying not to cry onto the brunet’s expensive jacket. “...You do too much for me… Thank you..” He murmured, and Schlatt rubbed his back soothingly, resting his chin on the younger’s head until he pulled away, obviously embarrassed, as his cheeks and ears were red.

“You’re my best friend,” Schlatt muttered. “I want the best for you.” Quackity just nodded, not trusting himself to speak without cracking. After a moment, he returned to packing his stuff up, but this time, Schlatt helped.

———

When they returned to Schlatt’s apartment, the two of them worked together to bring Quackity’s stuff up to the living room, and then Quackity slumped onto the couch. “Thank you,” he said. “So much. I appreciate everything you’ve done, and are doing, for me.” Schlatt nodded and stood in front of Quackity, hands in his pockets. He rocked forwards and back on the balls of his feet and sighed through his teeth. “Um, Alex.. if you… if you want to use Toby’s room.. Um, you can totally set up… in there.” Schlatt then mumbled awkwardly, feeling awkward and a little depressed. 

Quackity looked up at him, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. “You sure?” He double checked, and Schlatt nodded, a grin growing on his face. “Yeah,” he huffed with laughter. “You’re sure as hell not gonna sleep with me.” Quackity chuckled and stood up, cocking his head to the side while staring fondly at Schlatt. “Damn it,” he teased. “I was looking forward to cuddling with you. Jokes aside, though, I’m going to pay you back for this.”

“I know.”

“I know you know, but I’m gonna start today.” Quackity stated firmly, and Schlatt smirked. “Oh, really?” He asked, and Quackity nodded enthusiastically, confidently puffing his chest out. Schlatt huffed and reached over to ruffle Quackity’s hair. “Alright, but for now, go move your shit, okay?” Schlatt replied, and Quackity smirked, playfully swatting the older man’s hand away before turning to pick up a box, tucking it under his arm so he could open the door to Tubbo’s old room. 

A blast of cool, stale air hit Quackity as he swung the door open, and he shuddered before readjusting the box on his hip and walking into the room. He set the box on the bed and looked around. It didn’t look like anything had been moved around or altered in any way; the closet doors were slightly ajar, and Quackity could see some of the teen’s old clothes hanging in there, the curtains were closed as well, but Quackity assumed that was the only thing Schlatt had meddled with so that nothing faded too greatly. 

Quackity opened the drawer of the bedside table and saw nothing but a folded up piece of paper. He took it out and carefully unfolded it. There were a few words written on there in a familiar handwriting.

_Don’t worry. I’m safe. I’m with friends. I just had to leave. I’ll call some time, I promise, I just couldn’t stay here anymore. I’m sorry._

_— T._

Quackity hissed through his teeth and quickly returned the note, feeling an ache in his heart. He then took note of how dusty everything was. Like Schlatt hadn’t even cleaned in here since Tubbo had moved. He wiped off his fingers, which were coated with dust, on his pants and then walked back out into the living room to get more stuff. 

Once everything was in the room, Quackity started unboxing everything, leaving only his clothes in their boxes. Luckily, Tubbo had had a desk that was big enough for Quackity’s setup and then some, so he worked on that first. It didn’t take long at all for Quackity to get his PC up and running, the biggest struggle being finding an extension cord and outlet, but after that obstacle was out of the way with some help from his host, everything went smoothly.

By the time Quackity was done making the room seem like home, it was close to 2:00 pm already, and he left the room to see what Schlatt was up to, and he found the brunet in the kitchen, making some sort of food. “Hey.” He called out, and Schlatt looked back at him. “Hi, how’s it going?”

“Great, you should come check it out, and I was wondering if it would be okay for me to move the bed?” Quackity said in response, and Schlatt nodded. “Yeah, of course, it’s your room now.” He said, and Quackity flashed him a thumbs up, thinking that part of the reason he sounded so suddenly enthusiastic was because the more Quackity made the room his own, the less it would remind Schlatt of his runaway son. And speaking of Schlatt’s son…

_Tubbo: Hello Big Q._

_Quackity: Hola Tubbo._

_Tubbo: Wanna join Fundy, Karl, Dream, Tommy and I for a Jackbox game whenever you’re free?_

_Quackity: Hell yeah, I’ll probably be free tonight._

_Tubbo: I thought you couldn’t??_

_Quackity: Turns out I can, haha, your dad helped me get my stuff together again. Got evicted and stole your room, sorry._

_Tubbo: Quackity moves in with Schlatt and steals my room?!?? True! Not clickbait!!_

Quackity couldn’t help it. He cackled, and Schlatt looked over at him, wondering what was so funny. Through laughter, Quackity told him what Tubbo had said, and he chuckled. “I’m glad he’s open with you…” He said dejectedly, and Quackity sighed, remembering a conversation he’d had with Schlatt before the argument in the apartment had occurred. He’d told Quackity, “Never come near me or my son again. This is your only warning, Alexis, you’re nothing but a bad influence, and I’m not going to sugarcoat this: You’re a danger to Toby, so fuck off.” Schlatt bit his lip and turned his head away so that his hair covered his eyes and he didn’t have to look at Quackity. 

“You know what I’m glad of, J’?” Quackity said softly, setting his phone down and ignoring the recent text from Tubbo. Schlatt didn’t reply, so Quackity continued. “I’m glad that you knocked some sense into me, and I’m glad that you and Toby forgave me.” He said honestly, and was surprised to hear Schlatt exhale with a shaky breath. “Hey, what’s wrong..?” Quackity asked as he walked over to Schlatt, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I— I told him to stay away from you,” Schlatt growled more to himself than to Quackity. “I told him that I didn’t want him hanging around you… I’m so sorry…”

Quackity didn’t reply right away, instead, he cuffed Schlatt on the ear. “Thank you for the apology, but seriously, stop fucking saying sorry.” Quackity said, and Schlatt sighed, just returning to what he’d been making earlier, which Quackity now noticed to be sandwiches. The older man didn't say anything, and Quackity knew that it was because he was probably quite literally biting his tongue to keep himself from apologizing again. 

After a moment of silence, Quackity grabbed his phone and returned to the room. He’d stacked all of his boxes in the closet, and now he looked for a better place to move the bed too since it was sticking out into the middle of the room, with only the headboard against a wall. In the end, Quackity decided to just rotate it, and he moved it so that the head was against the opposite wall from the closet, next to the desk, and the rest bordered a window, with the bedside table being moved to the end of the bed. 

Then, Quackity shuffled the desk a little bit farther from the bed so that it was placed firmly in one corner, annoyed that he hadn’t thought to do this before getting his monitors set up, but he managed to do it in the end, and when he turned to survey his work, he noticed Schlatt standing in the doorway, watching him. “Sheesh, you could have helped some.” Quackity teased, and Schlatt scoffed. “I was taking in how different it looks in here.” He replied. Quackity sat down on the bed and Schlatt approached him to hand him a sandwich on a plate. “Thanks. Good different or bad different?”

“Different.” Schlatt shrugged. Quackity nodded, understanding, but Schlatt wasn’t done. “I haven’t come in here since the night I came home to find him gone. I couldn’t bear to face my mistakes, and I knew that this room would mock me if I tried to come in. It felt so empty, and made me feel so alone, knowing that I drove my own child away. I thought I was doing good, considering I raised him on my own, after what happened with…” Schlatt broke off to take in a shaky breath. “After what happened. But I guess not. Heh, it’s a real kick in the balls, you know?”

Quackity nodded, not knowing what to say, only knowing that he could somewhat relate. He’d set his sandwich down now and was fully focussed on Schlatt. “Yeah, I get you, kind of. I thought I was getting better after the first time I tried to drop the drug addiction, but I was just lying to myself. ‘I’ll just do it one more time, for fun, I’m at a party, I can bend the rules a little bit, right?’ and then I come to feeling shaky, nauseous, tired as fuck and covered in sweat.”

Schlatt chuckled. “No offense, but that’s not really anywhere near—”

“Raising a kid by yourself, yeah, yeah, I know,” Quackity laughed back. “God, we’re so fucked up.” Schlatt punched him playfully on the arm and smirked, cocking his head to the side. “Damn right we are, but we won’t be forever.” Quackity let out a loud bark of laughter. “I couldn’t have said it better myself, J’.” He said, holding out a hand, and when Schlatt took it, Quackity pulled him into a rough hug, clapping the brunet hard on the back and grinning almost manically. “The universe can’t keep us fucked up like this forever.” Quackity stated, and Schlatt pulled out of the hug, looking confident. Not forever. Not forever. 

This wouldn’t last forever.


	4. Suggestions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackity tries to introduce Schlatt to the joys of streaming, but after making a suggestion, more negative than positive emotions are dredged up, and Schlatt decides to go somewhere.

  
_ QuackityHQ is live! Jackbox with Dream, Karl, Tommy, Tubbo and Fundy!!!!!!! _

__ “Hello people! Hello!” Quackity exclaimed as he started up his stream and joined the vc, and immediately everyone noticed that he was in a new area. How could they not, when the entire room was laid out behind the twenty year old? “I wonder where you are, Quackity?” Tubbo said teasingly, and Quackity scoffed. “Wouldn’t you like to know, bee boy. Like what I did with the place?” At that, Quackity swiveled his chair away, displaying the room. 

Orange light was cast through the curtains, tinting the bed and part of the floor with the dying sunlight. “Wow..” Tubbo breathed out, taking in the sight of his room after not seeing it for a month. “It looks.. Really different.” He muttered, and Quackity slid back into view. “That’s what he said too.” Quackity said, and Tubbo fell silent. “Who’s ‘he’?” Dream cut in to ask, and Tubbo coughed to clear his throat and abruptly changed the subject. “So? Are we ready to play?”

The game started off good, with them settling on Talking Points. After a couple rounds of that, they switched to Quiplash, and after Quackity was done filling in his answers and was waiting for everyone else to finish, someone knocked softly on his door. “Yeah?” He called out as he turned around. The door opened and Schlatt popped his head into the room, features hidden by the faint light of Quackity’s room being out powered by the brighter lights of the rest of the apartment. “Hey, are you live?”

“I am. It’s fine though, what’s up?” Quackity replied, knowing that the chat was probably freaking out. “I’m making dinner, you just want me to bring some in when it’s done?” Schlatt asked softly, but Quackity’s mic still managed to pick it up. “Is that Schlatt?” Tubbo wondered faintly, and Quackity replied with a curt, “Yes.” before telling the man in question, “Sure, that’d be nice. I’ll do the dishes later, too.” 

“Alright, thank you, who’s on the call?”

“Um, Karl, Fundy, Tommy, Dream and Tubbo,” Quackity replied. “Wanna say hi?” Schlatt shrugged, mumbled, “Why not?” and walked over to Quackity, not knowing where to go as Quackity unplugged the headset so the audio came out of the computer speakers instead and returned to the game. “Guys say hi to my host.” Quackity said, and Schlatt waved awkwardly at the camera as chat went ballistic. “See?” Quackity joked. “I said you’d be good at this, chat likes you.” Schlatt huffed. “It’s not the chat I’m worried about right now.” He mumbled as the game started.

Quackity, and everyone else, took note of Tubbo’s silence throughout all of it, and it was definitely making everything a little awkward, but thankfully Tommy and Karl were able to loosen the tension from the call. “Soo..” Karl trilled at one point in time. “Quackity, who’s the lovely man behind you?” Quackity laughed awkwardly as Tubbo scoffed (the first sound he’d made in a while). “That would be my dad, Karl.” He said rather flatly, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice. Dream and Tommy burst into almost synchronized wheezes while Karl just froze for a moment, but then he too started laughing. To Quackity’s surprise, Schlatt chuckled as well, his voice starting up another round of excited spams in Quackity’s chat. 

“Well..” Schlatt said after a moment, when Dream and Tommy calmed down. “I’m gonna get back to the kitchen so I don’t fuck anything up. I’ll be back shortly though.” He added when chat started begging him to stay. Everyone in the call said goodbye, and then the game was back as everyone’s main focus. Everyone except Tubbo. The next round had barely started when Quackity received a private message. 

_ Tubbo: How is it? _

_ Tubbo: Living with him? _

Quackity looked away from his monitors briefly to reply. 

_ Quackity: Actually, it’s good.  _

_ Quackity: Though I can’t say anything yet, I just got here today.  _

_ Tubbo: Ah.  _

__ He didn’t say anything else, but he did seem off for the rest of the night, still joking and laughing, but falling quiet whenever anyone or anyone’s chat started talking about Schlatt. Quackity knew that he was deep in thought after pulling his stream up on a separate tab, and he knew better than to corner the brunet about it. 

After another few minutes, when Tommy and Fundy were in the midst of a playful yelling match, Schlatt came into the room again and tapped Quackity’s shoulder to catch his attention. Grinning, Quackity turned around to face Schlatt. He deafened on Discord. “Welcome back.” He said, and Schlatt handed him a plate of pasta and garlic bread. “There’s more on the stove too, if you want more.” He said, glancing over at Quackity’s screen as he did so to look at the game. 

“It’s pretty fun,” Quackity told him. “You should try it sometime.” Schlatt chuckled and held up his hands. “Oh, no..” He muttered, but Quackity didn’t back down that easily. “Come on.. I’ll let you use mine.” He said, gesturing for the older to come closer. He did, slowly, and Quackity stopped deafening as he once again unplugged his headset. “Hey guys, do you mind if someone else takes over my computer for a bit?” He asked.

“No.” Tubbo said quickly, before anyone else could get the chance, and Schlatt was glad, since he’d been hoping for a word of consent from Tubbo above anyone else’s thoughts. Quackity got up from his chair, stretched, set his food down on the desk and told Schlatt how the game worked. Then, he kneeled next to him, watching the screens and talking to chat while he ate and playfully jabbed at Schlatt’s ‘shitty gaming skills’.

Schlatt quickly got the hang of things, and it wasn’t long before he actually started to relax, even laughing to himself when he got prompts that he liked. “Heh,” Dream suddenly chuckled, after he’d been silent for an unusual amount of time. “You’re a natural gamer, boss, I don’t know why you’re so against streaming.”

“Oh, not this again, Dream. I don’t have the time to stream.” Schlatt replied, rolling his eyes jokingly while the chat went ballistic, wondering how both Dream and Quackity knew Tubbo’s father. “Seems like you have time now, and it’s nice seeing you so relaxed.” Dream said back, chuckling under his breath. Schlatt sighed. “I am relaxed at work too.”

“No,” Quackity cut in. “You weren’t, aren’t, sorry, but it’s obvious how tense you are all the time.” Schlatt bit his lip, and under his breath, Quackity mumbled, “I was actually thinking it would be a good idea for you to take a break from going into work.” Schlatt looked over at him, baffled and slightly offended, though for why, he didn’t know. “I’m  _ not _ going to abandon—”

“I’m not saying that!” Quackity exclaimed, then sighed. “Let’s talk about this when there’s not a ton of people watching us, okay?” Slowly, Schlatt agreed, and after another minute, he let Quackity return to his chair, and he left without a word. “He always like that?” Tommy questioned as Quackity plugged his headset back in. “Unfortunately, yes,” Tubbo growled, sounding far more bitter than Quackity had ever heard him. “It’s always work, work, work with him. You’re not going to be abandoning your fucking job to—!” Tubbo cut himself off, groaning. He was silent for a moment, then apologized for his outburst, and the game continued.

———

“—work with him. You’re not going to be abandoning your fucking job to—! ….I’m sorry, I… I’m sorry..” was the first thing that Schlatt heard when he opened Quackity’s stream on his phone, and almost immediately, he exited out of the stream and let his phone drop onto the counter with a clatter. He hid his face in his hands and then decided that he needed a drink, so he wordlessly grabbed his coat and silently left the apartment, storming down the hallway, growing ever more angry.

The world was against him. Nobody liked him, and Schlatt needed to accept that. Quackity was just using him, Dream wanted to humiliate him, and Tubbo… Tubbo, Schlatt thought with contempt, was just an unappreciative teen. He didn’t know what was good for him, and he didn’t know what Schlatt was going through. Nobody did. Thankfully, for Schlatt, the nearest bar was just a five minute walk from his apartment.

———

When Quackity was done streaming, he got up and immediately took note of the silence of the apartment. He grabbed his dishes and left the room, walking to the kitchen, where he saw Schlatt’s phone, abandoned on the counter. “Schlatt?” He called out, and when he got no reply, he walked around looking for the other man. He wasn’t in the bathroom or in his own room, so there wasn’t really anywhere else he could be, and Quackity couldn’t call him. 

Beginning to worry, Quackity left the apartment, noticing the absence of Schlatt’s shoes, and he took the elevator to the ground floor, where he walked to the front desk. “Hello?” He asked the woman that was seated there, and she looked up at Quackity and smiled. “Hello, you’re the new fellow that just moved into the top floor, right? What can I help you with?” 

“Yeah, that’s me, um, did you happen to see a brunet walk by sometime in the past hour or two? He’s around 6’?” Quakcity told her, and the lady replied almost right away. “Mr. Schlatt, you mean? Yes, he left about two hours ago. Looked pretty upset, something didn’t happen, I hope?”    
“Oh, no ma’am, pretty sure everything’s fine. Thank you very much.” Quackity replied, and he turned around and went back up to the apartment before she could say anything more. “So he left without his phone, eh..” He whispered to himself as the elevator carried him back upwards, humming softly. When he was back inside the apartment, Quackity returned to his room, fairly sure that Schlatt had left because of his suggestion earlier and positive that when he returned, he probably wouldn’t want to talk to Quackity right away. With nothing that he could do in the situation, Quackity just lay back on the bed and rolled onto his side, looking out of the window.

There weren’t any clouds in the sky, so it was bright, and the moon lit up the cement jungle of New York along with the streetlamps.The ground was a mix of dark ground, pale moonlight, and yellow manmade illuminance, and Quackity hoped that wherever Schlatt had gone to, he was okay and not too pissed off. 


	5. Plants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Schlatt wakes up somewhere unfamiliar.

A bright light was shining in through a window, curtains drawn back to show off a different part of the city than Schlatt was used too. He groggily opened his eyes, feeling shitty and dehydrated, and his back hurt from how he’d been laying on this foreign couch. He groaned and tried to stand. 

“Lay down.” Someone from another room commanded, but Schlatt didn’t listen. He staggered to his feet and instantly noticed that he was in a different house, baby blue wallpaper instead of the cream of his own apartment. “Where.. am I?” He asked, and a familiar brunet appeared from behind a wall, damp towel and glass of water in his hands. George glared at Schlatt and walked over to him, setting the things down and gently pushing him onto the couch. “I said, ‘lay down’.” He repeated. Schlatt obeyed this time. 

George gave him the water and, to Schlatt’s distaste, wiped his face off with the towel. “You’re lucky we fucking found you.” He growled, and Schlatt strained to remember what had happened. It came back to him soon afterwards. Stomping to the bar, getting drunk, ranting to a random stranger who happened to be Dream, now that he thought of it, and coming ‘home’ with the blond and a mystery brunet (George). He also remembered trying to flirt with George, mistaking him for another, but Dream was fast to banish him to the couch after that, effectively shutting down his advances. God, he’d never live this down…

“Sorry about that…” Schlatt said after he’d drank, and George sighed. “Thanks, it’s fine. Just drink more water and don’t get up. I’ll make some breakfast.” Schlatt nodded in appreciation and said no more while George walked off to the kitchen. Soon, the smell of good eggs and bacon filled the apartment, and it took everything in the businessman to not stand and go see how George was getting on. 

When the brunet was done in the kitchen, which to Schlatt, felt like forever, he walked back over to Schlatt and handed him a plate, sitting in a comfortable looking armchair that was in the opposite corner of the living room. “Thank you. Where’s Dream?” Schlatt spoke, and George took a bite of egg before replying, purposefully chewing slowly so he wouldn’t have to answer immediately. “He’s out shopping and calling in for us.” 

“It’s Monday?”

“Yes, but you’re not going into work looking like that.” George said sternly. Schlatt shot him a look, and George narrowed his brown eyes slightly. “Sir, I’m saying this as a friend and not as your worker, but you smell like shit, look like you let rats make a nest of your hair, and you have _alcohol and vomit stains on your fucking shirt.”_ Schlatt didn’t have a reply to that, he just deflated and sunk into the sofa, munching on the food that George had made him like he hadn’t eaten in days. 

When they were both done, George grabbed the dishes and walked back to the kitchen. Schlatt heard him load them into a dishwasher, but George didn’t return, so Schlatt went after him, finding the brunet boiling water in a pretty blue kettle. “You like tea?” George asked. 

“I guess. Haven’t had it in a long time though.” Schlatt said, and George nodded. “Chamomile?”

“Sure.”

“I think it’ll do you good, chamomile helps with menstrual cramps, not that you have to deal with that, lowers blood sugar, reduces inflammation, and—” he paused, raising his eyebrows suggestively at Schlatt. “—helps with relaxation and sleep.” Schlatt hummed, nodded, and this time, didn’t deny that he needed to relax more. While the water boiled, George grabbed two mugs and pulled out a tin of tea bags. He popped the tin open, and Schlatt traced the lines of the intricate design with his eyes. After a moment of searching, George made an ‘ah’ sound and pulled out two packets of chamomile tea and set them in the mugs, wrapping the strings around the handles so the entire packet couldn’t slide into the mug when the water was poured on them. 

After the water was boiling nicely, George grabbed a hot pad and poured the water in the mugs, making sure to be slow so that hot water didn’t splash onto his hands or the counter. Then, George set the kettle on another pad on the counter so it could cool, and he handed one steaming mug to Schlatt. “You sure know a lot about tea.” Schlatt noted warmly, and George turned to him, smiling while walking back into the living room. “Oh! Yes! I know a lot about herbs and stuff! For three semesters I majored in.. I think botany? I don’t know, I just remember a ton of facts about plants commonly found in tea.” 

Schlatt listened with interest while George gushed about his botany major, and once, he wondered why George had dropped it to work in an office. George’s response was that he wanted to travel more, and in the end of his botany era, he felt like it just wasn’t as exciting anymore, so he’d happily taken the opportunity to move to America when it came up, and, he’d added dreamily, if he didn’t, he never would have met Dream. 

“—and lemon balm wards off insects while also relieving stress, I’m considering buying one, but I can never locate any. Another plant I wanna get is sage, because it improves brain functions, supports digestive health and strengthens the immune system.” George rambled happily. He’d been talking for a good amount of time, and Schlatt was happy to listen to him, drinking tea and looking around the apartment, liking the homey aura that it had with the pale blue walls, lined with many white shelves that held different sized plants. 

Almost everything in the apartment was either blue, green, or white, and it smelled wonderful, either from an air freshener or the amount of plants that were in the house. Ferns, both big and small, littered the rooms, and on the shelves, small succulents and a couple cacti. There was a bamboo plant in a windowsill with some sort of leafy, viny thing sitting in just water so it could grow roots, and next to the couch, a huge beast of a plant with big, fan shaped leaves with paler splotches in the middle of the leaves. Its thick stem curled around, probably from it trying to locate light from different angles, and even George didn’t know what it was. Dream had gotten a leaf of it from another friend who had since moved to Texas, and had barely managed to keep it alive until George came along and nursed it to its full glory. 

On the coffee table in front of Schlatt, a lily, all of the pearly white buds closed, and some purple and yellow pansies. Next to those, a stack of books about plants. George continued to talk, now on the topic of vegetables, but was interrupted when someone else knocked on the door before entering without waiting for a reply. “Babe, I’m home!” Schlatt heard Dream call out, and George opened his mouth to shout back, but Schlatt grinned devilishly and beat him to replying. “I’m in the living room, honey!” 

There was a pause before Dream burst into his signature tea kettle laughter, and a moment later, he appeared with some plastic bags full of groceries and some other stuff, his face red, hair disheveled like it had been blown around by the wind. “Hi, sweetie~” Dream teased, blowing a kiss in Schlatt’s direction as he walked over to George, who stood and quickly pecked him on the cheek before helping him carry bags into the kitchen to put them on the counter, both of them giggling to each other. 

Schlatt followed them after a moment, walking into the kitchen to see Dream brandishing a little aloe plant and handing it to George, who was beaming and practically buzzing with excitement, babbling happily to himself and Dream. Then, he raced past Schlatt, who watched him search for a space to put the thing, and eventually it was settled nicely in another, out of view room. 

“Oh yeah,” Dream said after George was out of sight. “Quackity’s worried about you. You left your phone at home so he couldn’t contact you.” Schlatt felt horrible about this, but he hadn’t been thinking clearly last night, and Dream told him that while he’d been out, he’d stopped by and assured the younger that Schlatt was okay. Still, Schlatt asked Dream if he could borrow his phone to call Quackity. 

“Hey Dream, what’s up?” Quackity asked after a moment. “Hi Q’.” Schlatt said, and Quackity Quackity uttered an, “Oh.” 

“I should have told you where I was going, and I should have actually talked to you, I just.. I heard what Tubbo said, and it made me really upset. I know you hate me saying ‘sorry’, but I’m sorry.” Schlatt said before Quackity could say anything else, and the man hummed thoughtfully. “Thanks for the apology, J’, I really appreciate it. We’ll talk when you get home, okay? No backing out this time?” Quackity replied hopefully, and Schlatt nodded, heart racing as he thought about the oncoming conversation. “Of course.” Schlatt told him, and then he hung up and handed the phone back to Dream. “Thanks.” The blond said. Schlatt nodded in reply. 

After George returned, Schlatt thanked both men for their help, then he said that it was about time he went home, and George offered to drive him. George had a nice car, a black convertible with plush seats and a gorgeous wood trim, so Schlatt enthusiastically agreed, eager to get a closer look at the seemingly always shiny thing that he’d only ever seen parked in the lot of the office. 

At first, the drive was silent, with George having the top of the car down since it was a nice day for the middle of the northern autumn, but eventually, when they were stopped at a red light, George spoke up. “Don’t start heavy drinking, Schlatt. It was hard seeing you like that last night.” He said softly, and Schlatt looked over at the brunet, who was staring forwards far too intently. “What do you..?” He asked, and George sighed. “Schlatt, for the sake of everyone around you, never become an alcoholic. You don’t know what it’s like watching someone seriously deteriorate around you. I know you were the one that helped Alex, but you haven’t seen someone damn near throw away his life to drink.”

George wasn’t looking at Schlatt, and he had a distant look in his chocolate colored eyes. “You’ve dealt with drunks before? Is there anything you haven’t done?” Schlatt said after a moment, trying to lighten the mood. George looked at him for the first time since he’d gotten in the car. “I haven’t let my boyfriend throw himself away. And I won’t let you, either. Or Quackity.” 

Schlatt nodded, feeling choked up and at a loss for words, but thankfully, George didn’t need a reply. After that, the ride continued in silence, and when they reached Schlatt’s apartment, George just dropped him off and drove away with a small wave goodbye. Schlatt thanked him once again and hurried up to his room. 

Quackity was sprawled out on the couch on his phone, which he put down as soon as Schlatt knocked on the door (because of course he hadn’t brought his keys last night). “Hey.” He said when Quackity opened the door for him, and the younger smiled with relief. “Thank god you’re okay.” He mumbled, hugging Schlatt for a short moment before backing away and giving him room to enter his apartment, which felt rather bland after the jungle that was George and Dream’s place.

“I’m glad you’re back. I was worried about you.” Quackity said, looking down sheepishly. “I know,” Schlatt replied. “I wasn’t thinking.”  
“I know, it must be hard to hear someone you love be angry at you.”

_“I don’t need you! You abandoned me! You fucking abandoned me! You don’t love me, you just care about money and power!”_

Schlatt bit his lip and averted his gaze to the wall behind his friend. It was hard. And it hurt. “It is,” he said. “It stings worse than a bee.” Quackity looked at him with a gentle expression, unable to guess what kind of words had been exchanged between Schlatt and his son in the past. “Well..” Quackity said after a moment. “You owe me a talk, so come on.” And Schlatt obeyed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m soft for plant expert George, okay? 🤚


End file.
